


Becoming Yours

by 2_donghyuck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Enemies to Lovers, Exhibitionism, Feelings Realization, M/M, Making Out, Masturbation, Minor Lee Jeno/Mark Lee, Pining, Porn With Plot, Roommates, Shower Sex, author attempts to write smut, have these tags... as a treat, i think, of what's to come, omg they were roommates, you don't have to squint too hard to see it tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:01:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25102093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2_donghyuck/pseuds/2_donghyuck
Summary: In which Donghyuck is in need of a roommate and, coincidentally, Renjun is looking for a new place. Mark, as the middle ground, thinks it would be a good idea for them to room together even if they don't seem to get along at all.The thing about living with Renjun, was like living with no one at all. Donghyuck tries not to let it bother him, but at the end of the day the only thing in his mind is how to break the cycle.So Donghyuck supposes in the end it’s Mark’s fault that he finds himself trying to win Renjun's favor. But how far he was willing to go was probably on him.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan
Comments: 49
Kudos: 144
Collections: Renhyuck Fic Fest Round 1





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #40
> 
> helloooo, please accept this offering... i don't have much to say at the moment, except that i hope you enjoy what i got so far and that i hope you're as excited as me for what's coming next!!
> 
> i will update the tags as the next chapters get posted if needed
> 
> fic title was inspired by ftisland's 'becoming you'

The sunlight paints fleeting patterns on the table in front of Mark, and he watches the forms dance and disappear as people walk by outside the café window. Jeno should be arriving soon.

Mark tries to hide his grin when the chiming of bells signifies Jeno’s entrance to NeoCafé, a picturesque coffee shop they frequented during their college years so much that it was now _their place_.

Once they were seated side by side, conversation flowed naturally. Jeno always insisted on this seating arrangement, and at one point Mark had wondered if sitting in front of each other seemed too date-y for Jeno’s liking, but he assured Mark that he just really liked being beside him.

Eventually the question about Renjun’s apartment search came up, and Mark got slightly upset while telling Jeno all about their _six_ failed attempts at finding a good place. They were in desperate need of finding somewhere nice enough for Renjun to settle in and finish his last year in college with nothing else to worry about. Mark was more than happy to help him out until they found a place, but the search had extended a few weeks more than expected and Renjun really couldn’t keep living in Mark’s living room.

“I see…” Jeno solemnly sipped his iced coffee. He knew too well the troubles of finding a decent apartment around this time of year. “And how’s Donghyuck doing? I honestly would have moved in with him if Doyoung-hyung hadn’t already offered me the room that Johnny-hyung vacated.”

“Yeah, well… he’s still searching.” Silence, and then, “He asked everyone he knew but everyone seems to have a place already.”

“Figures.”

“Yeah, it’s not as if someone in desperate need of a living space will just drop out of the sky.”

Jeno put his cup down before asking, “So Renjun is not an option for that?”

Jeno watched the confusion in Mark’s features slowly melt into realization. Of course!

“Renjun and Donghyuck, huh? Yeah, it just might work.” Mark was quick to fetch his phone from his back pocket and dial Donghyuck’s number. “Wait, hold on.”

Jeno just watched Mark absentmindedly bite on his bottom lip while he waited for Donghyuck to pick up. 

_Helloooo!_

“Hey Hyuck, are you free on Saturday? I found someone for your apartment.”

_What really?! Who??_

“It’s a friend. You might know him…” Mark said as he played with the string bracelet on Jeno’s wrists.

 _I_ might _know him? That sounds very suspicious Mark._

“I swear it’s fine. It’s worth a try, yeah?”

_Fine._

“I’ll introduce you guys on Saturday, don’t worry,” Mark assured him.

_Okay, if you say so._

“Make sure to clean up.”

 _Clean up? Mark Lee, this place is immaculate. What do you_ mean _?_

Mark laughed. “Well, see you on Saturday, bye Hyuck!” He hung up and grabbed at Jeno’s hand in the excitement.

“You hadn’t considered it before?” said Jeno, no real judgement in his tone, while interlacing his fingers with Mark’s.

“What? No,” and after a pause, “had you???”

“Yeah, I just thought you already talked with both of them and figured it wouldn’t work out because of the whole ‘enemies’ thing, so you guys just kept looking.” Jeno tucks an imaginary strand of hair behind Mark’s ears.

“Do you think it’ll be okay?” He looked at Jeno.

Jeno held his stare, “I don’t know. You’ll just have to wait and see,” he smiled warmly, as he brought Mark’s knuckles up to kiss them. “Make sure to tell me what that happens on Saturday, okay?”

Mark nodded, blushing, and had to catch his breath before, regrettingly removing his hands from Jeno’s grasp and texting Renjun about the little meet date he had arranged.

He thought they ought to give it a shot. Mark knew them both well so he tried not to let it bother him that much, after all he always thought they had potential of _clicking_ , but they had always insisted on not getting along.

However, right now as they stood they couldn’t spare to get picky.


	2. First

It was mid September already and Donghyuck hadn’t found anyone to share his apartment with. Yukhei had left a month ago, and the burden of paying for the whole thing was weighing on Donghyuck’s pockets. It was even worse after he had been fired from his job at the café from across the street, courtesy of a petty store manager that was still butthurt from Donghyuck breaking up with him. Fuck that Jaehyun guy and his attitude.

He had been struggling, so when Mark called him to tell him he had found someone, Donghyuck had briefly seen the light. But not long after Donghyuck sank into desperation again. This person had to be the one to save him from homelessness. Knowing that it was someone Mark knew did little to calm his nerves.

Mark had not given away anything about this mysterious person when Donghyuck inquired, besides the fact that they were still studying and that they were currently, temporarily, living with Mark for seemingly obscure reasons. Also that Donghyuck _might_ know him.

And so, two days later, Mark was at Donghyuck’s door at eleven in the morning on the dot with his future roommate.

Nothing could have prepared him to face the one and only Renjun. His indisputable rival since his college radio days, that now seemed like forever ago.

Donghyuck was speechless as Mark, with a calm smile on his face, urged a tense looking Renjun inside the apartment, sitting him down at the table and even fetching him a glass of juice from Donghyuck’s fridge.

“Mark Lee?!” He yelled once he got over his initial shock.

“Hey Donghyuck, so...” he scratched his head. “I have some things I need to do. I’ll have to leave you guys... alone.”

“What??” There was no way Mark didn’t remember the push and pull between them.

Mark smiled in Renjun’s direction, “I’m sure everything will be alright!”

He had been so confident in choosing obliviousness that Donghyuck didn’t know where to begin confronting him about it.

“But-” Donghyuck started.

“I’m sorry Donghyuck, I _really_ have to go.” Mark said and quite literally bolted from the place.

Donghyuck watched incredulously as the door closed behind Mark’s retreating figure.

Moments later, Renjun cleared his throat and Donghyuck finally looked at him. He had seemed a little awkward when he arrived, but he dropped it in favor of being insufferable.

“So… care to give me a tour?” Renjun smirked.

The strength of Donghyuck’s gaze apparently meant nothing to Renjun, a million thoughts running behind his eyes. A good chunk of them were fantasies about ending the person in front of him in blind rage.

However, the smaller portion of reasonable thoughts won and they reminded him that he had no one else. Besides, Renjun was not a stranger, and he was Mark’s friend. And if Donghyuck could trust Mark’s words, it would be okay.

Donghyuck sighed. “Sure, this way,” he said as he walked towards the hallway, not waiting for Renjun to follow.

So they had to live together, that wouldn’t be so bad right? It’s not like they had to spend all their time together.

\--

Life is a cycle of action and reaction. Actions have consequences. Karma and the like.

Donghyuck found himself rethinking the last three years of his life in an attempt to understand how his decisions could possibly have led him all the way up to this point.

Although he considered Mark a good friend overall, it was him who had brought misfortune straight into Donghyuck’s life. Because Mark, the one who was supposed to have his back, for ever and ever, had thought it possible for the solution to Donghyuck’s problem to be another one of his problems: Huang Renjun.

Donghyuck might have to start rethinking his friendships.

The sudden sound of his phone ringing broke his line of thought and he hastily finished showering to pick it up. It was probably Mark asking where he was. He had gotten so winded up thinking about life and his stupid roommate that he ended up taking longer than intended. 

After pulling together a decent outfit in record time, he made his way to the door and couldn’t help but notice that nothing in the apartment seemed out of place. He locked up and made his way down, giving into his thought as he descended flight after flight of stairs.

Living with Renjun had turned out to be way different than Donghyuck expected. Renjun was barely present, busy with classes and his on-campus job, surely, but he never seemed to actually spend time _in_ the apartment. Or at least not when Donghyuck was around.

Donghyuck had made sure to let Renjun know from the moment they signed the mock contract that indicated the place was _theirs_ , not only Donghyuck’s, that Renjun was not imposing. Their facade of hostility had dropped in that moment, and they agreed to various things that they added in pen and then taped the whole thing to the kitchen wall for reference.

But still after moving in, Renjun had retreated into himself, not allowing Donghyuck in-- Not allowing Donghyuck to get to him.

Even now, after a month had passed, Renjun’s presence in the apartment was still faint. Sensing his thoughts turning into something resembling nostalgia, Donghyuck was quick to remind himself that Renjun did some pretty annoying things, albeit not directly, and that he should not lower his guard for even a second.

For example, like many other days, Renjun’s stupidly loud alarm woke him up at an ungodly hour. Donghyuck would have given him a piece of his mind but sleep won over his irritation, every time.

Besides that and a few house plants, there was no evidence that Renjun even lived with Donghyuck. Sure the second bedroom didn’t feel empty, like a wormhole waiting to swallow Donghyuck up, anymore, but it was still unnerving. Some days Donghyuck woke up disoriented and Renjun was simply nowhere to be found. There were no clothes strewn around, no dirty dishes left in the sink. Not a single drop of water out of place.

Donghyuck wondered if Renjun just didn’t want to be near him. They were enemies, rivals, definitely not friends at all, but they were certainly not strangers either. And he got annoyed at how his thoughts circled back very closely to the idea of _missing_ Renjun. Which was completely ridiculous because they were living together-- Because it was _Renjun!_

\--

So a month had gone by already, and that meant that Mark’s no-complaining-about-my-roommate rule had expired, which in turn meant Donghyuck was allowed to lament his situation.

“I’m living with my _enemy_ , Mark. Isn’t that kind of… preposterous?” Donghyuck asked.

Mark knew Donghyuck. And he knew Renjun. He knew it never was exactly how it sounded. Donghyuck’s words held deeper meaning, and only he, who had seen firsthand how hard they stuck to the enemies script, could dig deep enough into Donghyuck’s eyes and tone and figure it out.

They sat at their usual table at Neo Café, Donghyuck unloading his troubles onto Mark, as the latter tried to caffeinate his tired body in an attempt to keep up with Donghyuck’s ranting.

“The apartment was unnaturally clean again. It’s kind of creepy. Mark, am I living with a ghost???” He shivered, for added measure.

“Well, he never said he _wasn’t_ a ghost, so…” Mark chuckled, holding his mug up with both hands so he could blow on it. “You might.”

“Stop fucking with me, I’m serious. I know he was there this morning, his fucking alarm went off early as shit again.” He massaged his temples, “but whenever I wake up, everything is untouched. It really is as if I’m living alone.”

Mark eyed Donghyuck, “Isn’t that a good thing? You didn’t want to room with him anyways, so wouldn’t you rather he came and left without bothering you?”

Donghyuck ignored Mark’s questioning eyes in favor of biting into his croissant. Only replying moments later, as he licked the sweetness off his fingers.

“And there seems to be nothing that he does wrong, which is what bothers me the most. No person can be in their last year of college and be _that_ composed.”

Mark looked at him blankly.

“Should I confront him about it?” Donghyuck asked. And then after being met with silence, “I’m going to confront him about it.”

“No. Donghyuck just-” He sighed.

“What?” It was Donghyuck’s turn to look at Mark now.

“Nothing. Just be reasonable about it, okay?”

“‘Kay.”

\--

Renjun would show up later than he expected, Donghyuck realized. For a second he wished he was actually exaggerating when he said that Renjun was barely in the apartment.

It was past 10pm and Donghyuck was already sleepy. Legs propped onto the coffee table, laptop resting on his stomach, he felt himself get annoyed yet again by something Renjun did. Or didn’t do, in this case. He wasn’t coming home anytime soon.

His exhaustion pulled a yawn off him and caused his vision to blur. Setting his laptop aside, he took his computer glasses off and rubbed his eyes. Donghyuck stood up and stretched his long legs, wondering just how many hours he had stayed in the same position, faking nonchalance as he waited for Renjun.

Suddenly, he heard a brief jingle of keys, and that was the only warning he got before an exhausted looking Renjun burst through the front door and let himself into the dimly lit apartment.

Completely taken aback, Donghyuck watched in silence as the other set his bags on the floor with a huff, apparently ignorant to Donghyuck’s standing figure in the living room. Renjun kicked his shoes off unceremoniously but a second later placed them in their proper place, and Donghyuck felt frustration wash over him. Renjun was clearly exhausted, but still took the time to be this insufferably tidy? More importantly, how was Donghyuck going to confront him now?

Renjun caught sight of Donghyuck only as he started heading towards his room and he yelped, startled.

“Fucking hell,” he swore under his breath, and then outloud. “What the fuck?”

Donghyuck remained silent, and the moment stretched.

“Do you need anything?” Renjun was clearly not in the mood to humor him.

“No. I’m- I was just leaving,” he gestured vaguely towards his room and with a few long strides Donghyuck reached the safety of his bedroom, away from Renjun’s gaze.

Donghyuck sat down in his bed, eyes focused on the floorboards, feeling himself unable to calm down, flinching when he heard Renjun’s door slam.

So that just happened.

He felt stupid for having built up expectations of seeing his roommate, of telling him off, and then freezing in place when directly faced with the object of his thoughts. Something about that encounter had stuck with Donghyuck. And he tossed and turned all night before realizing that it was the closest to a conversation they had after Renjun moved in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now, buckle up cause it will soon get wild


	3. Second

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! first of all i want to mention that i've slightly rearranged how the prologue and the first chapter were divided, im so sorry if it causes confusion
> 
> second ! thank you all for the kudos and comments <3 im working super hard to get the rest of the chapters out in a timely manner, so please wait for me i promise the end result will be satisfying af
> 
> hope you enjoy !

Jeno visited Donghyuck during break not long after _the incident_ , bringing his favorite order of bubble tea. After Mark, Jeno was currently number one on his list, and Donghyuck couldn’t resist hugging him when he saw him.

“Hey Donghyuck,” Jeno smiled into the warmth. “How’s it going?” he asked as they parted, guiding Donghyuck to one of the tables right outside the bakery.

“It’s… been okay I guess,” Donghyuck sighed as he sat down, a tired smile on his face.

“How’s the whole Renjun thing going?” Jeno prodded after a while.  
  
“To be honest, it’s not even going.” Donghyuck sank in his seat at the reminder of Renjun’s existence. He had been so focused on his work that he hadn’t had time to brood over his interaction with his roommate last night.

“Huh? What do you mean? You guys are living together, right?”

“Yeah we are... but we don’t talk or whatever,” Donghyuck gestured with his hand.

“Oh,” he eyed Donghyuck, genuine curiosity in his eyes. “You seem dejected about it…” Mark hadn’t told him much, preferring to remove himself from the situation as much as he could, so he could only imagine what those two had been up to.

“What? No. It’s just annoying, how he’s never even there. I barely see him around and we don’t talk, like at all...” Donghyuck looked to the road ahead.

“No offense, but don’t you guys hate each other? So isn’t that a good thing?” Jeno sipped from his cup, fully facing Donghyuck now.

“Huh Mark said the exact same thing. I guess, but some sick part of me thought we would fight constantly, and since it’s not happening, I feel...” he chose his next word carefully, “disoriented.” He looked at Jeno, a little helpless. “Is that weird?”

Jeno just hummed as he looked at Donghyuck. “I think it’s normal to want to interact with someone you’re living with.” He set his cup down.

Donghyuck seemed reluctant.

“It might be a little weird that he’s not talking to you at all, but you don’t know the reasons for that. And your relationship with him wasn’t always the best.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Donghyuck felt at ease opening up to Jeno about this, more than he did with Mark, and he made a note to treat Jeno to some food next time. He was probably going to go to Jeno from now on about this Renjun issue.

“Well, I think your break is almost up, so I’ll let you have some time by yourself.” He smiled and hesitated a little before adding, “Remember that nothing will change if you don’t do anything about it.”

Donghyuck mirrored his smile. “Thanks for dropping by,” he waved as he watched Jeno cross the street.

Boy, did he have a lot to think about once he left work.

\--

Jeno’s silent wish of things changing started coming true only a week later. Donghyuck had given it much thought and decided by himself to start with something small. Baby steps.

He had taken it up to himself to exude friendly energy whenever he waited late for Renjun, throwing a quick “oh, hi!” his way whenever he entered the apartment looking tired as shit. It was all in psychological preparation of what was to come next.

One time pretty late into the night, Renjun entered the apartment and went through his usual routine of placing his bag down, taking his shoes and jacket off-- it was getting colder outside, more crisp-- and stretching a bit before picking his stuff up before heading to his room.

Inevitably, Donghyuck met his gaze and he couldn’t help but notice that Renjun seemed livelier than usual, his cheeks had a shine to them that Donghyuck hadn’t distinguished before. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to say something, and Renjun stopped, clearly being addressed.

“Um” Donghyuck said dumbly. “There’s uh, there’s some dinner in the fridge.” He averted his eyes, as he noticed Renjun’s slight frown.

“Oh. I don’t eat leftovers,” said Renjun in confusion, and Donghyuck shrunk a bit.

By the time Donghyuck gathered his strength back, only a few seconds really, and looked up back at Renjun, he only caught a glimpse of his back before the door to his bedroom all but slammed shut.

Donghyuck inhaled, allowed himself to get annoyed by the blunt comment, and exhaled, already steeling himself for next time. Of course, a single planned out scenario wasn’t going to make Renjun bend at his will.

Renjun didn’t eat leftovers? Well Donghyuck would make extra dinner right before he arrived, play it nonchalantly, and Renjun wouldn’t be able to deny some home cooked dinner then.

The days came and went, and Donghyuck found himself waiting for Renjun again, ready to catch him by surprise.

And the perfect moment arrived eventually. Donghyuck was just finishing the ramen up, adding the vegetables and a slice of cheese to his bowl when he heard the door open. Renjun seemed lively again, better rested and with a little more energy than usual. Donghyuck wondered what had put him in such a mood as he watched him go through the motions that he was slowly getting used to.

When Renjun looked up and in his direction, that was his chance.

“Hey. I made too much, I’m leaving you some. In case you’re hungry.” He said as casually as he could.

“Um- I’ll eat later. Thanks.” Renjun replied with the ghost of a smile playing at his lips.

‘Later’ was apparently way after Donghyuck had eaten his own serving and had retired to his room. He wondered if Renjun was going to eat it at all, or if he was going to send the poor ramen down the drain.

The next morning, however, brought bright sunshine and two victories for Donghyuck. The first revealed itself to him once he took in the sight of the kitchen, pot washed and a second bowl, next to his, left to dry. Renjun had eaten the ramen Donghyuck had made (for him).

When he was in the shower, the second victory came to him in the form of the realization that he had successfully predicted Renjun’s schedule. Maybe he had been paying more attention to Renjun than he let himself admit.

In this same fashion, Donghyuck would occasionally make coffee on the days he managed to wake up before Renjun, and he started spending more time in their common areas, in an attempt to ease Renjun to feel more comfortable living there.

And Renjun eased up. He no longer burdened himself in erasing his presence in the apartment and being careful so as not to bother Donghyuck. Apparently with the right timing too, finals would be coming soon, if the grey cloud looming over Renjun’s head growing bigger each day was any indication.

But while Donghyuck was actively making efforts, Renjun had not taken any initiative to be civil with Donghyuck other than acknowledging what Donghyuck tried to do for him.

So, while they seemed just a tad bit more like roommates now, there was still something missing in their interactions. And it took Donghyuck all weekend to realize that the problem was a lack of interactions at all. 

“What will it take for him to speak to me???” Donghyuck thought to himself and groaned in frustration as he finished washing his face. Scrubbing a little too hard when he realized that besides Donghyuck’s constipated attempts at communicating, there was no exchange between them whatsoever.

He needed a final push, but he had no idea what it was supposed to be.

\--

Another week passed in a similar manner, with the only exception being that Donghyuck saw even less of Renjun around the apartment. He tried convincing himself that he felt _frustrated_ and not sad, and that it was because he couldn’t try anything new to get to Renjun again.

Finals must have really been kicking Renjun’s ass because now he either spent whole days away from home, probably pulling all nighters in the library, or he locked himself in his room for hours on end on weekends, only coming out just to eat or use the bathroom.

Just catching glimpses of Renjun struggling with college made Donghyuck’s mind swirl with incomprehensible thoughts, and he convinced himself that the most prominent one was _thank god I’m done with_ that _nightmare_ and not _if there was something I could do_...

\--

Donghyuck relied solely on Jeno while searching for advice in sorting his thoughts out. He couldn’t tell Jaemin in risk of getting endlessly teased and becoming frustrated before he could actually open up about anything. Alternatively, Jeno was gentle and whenever they talked he seemed as though he could understand Donghyuck’s feelings without judgement. And Mark…

Going to Mark was out of the question. In Mark’s eyes, Donghyuck probably looked like he had gotten over his initial butthurt-ness since he didn’t complain as often or as extensively as he did during the first time he was allowed to. The way that Mark listened to whatever Donghyuck had to say without really engaging in conversation about the topic made Donghyuck come to the conclusion that Mark was _not_ to be trusted as he clearly sided with the enemy. So Donghyuck lied about Renjun being annoying and getting on his nerves whenever they all hung out together but didn’t show the same bitterness that he always had, and then turned towards the window after making eye contact with Jeno, whose eyes shone with secrecy and understanding. And complicity too, as he proceeded to distract Mark and make him nervous so he wouldn’t catch on to whatever telepathic conversation was happening over his head.

Therefore, in reality, Mark didn’t know how complicated things had gotten, at least on Donghyuck’s side. Donghyuck had deliberately made sure not to tell him anything about his internal turmoil because he knew Mark was going to let him have it for all the times Donghyuck declared he hated Renjun, and would probably, like the good person he was, tell Renjun about it in a not-so-subtle way and have Donghyuck exposed for things he had yet to understand.

So he found himself spending his third Sunday morning in a row with Jeno, out eating brunch at Neo. The weather was chilly and they sat as closely in the booth in order to keep each other warm. They had mostly enjoyed their meal in comfortable silence before Jeno couldn’t stand it anymore and asked Donghyuck if he had made any progress.

Donghyuck laughed before he started telling him about his latest attempts in winning Renjun’s favor. He had indirectly invited Renjun out to do laundry together in the building’s basement, but Renjun had dismissed him saying he had way too many papers to write.

“He wasn’t as rude as he would have been in the beginning, so I’m counting it as a win so far.” Donghyuck concluded.

“It’s kind of crazy how dedicated you are to this, considering it’s Renjun.” Jeno would have said, but he really didn’t want Donghyuck to feel called out and potentially return to his shell. So instead he said, “why not wash his laundry for him, poor boy must be getting beat up by finals.”

“Oh God no, I don’t think I’ll ever reach that point of desperation,” Donghyuck said and Jeno laughed at his reaction.

Donghyuck was about to ask Jeno what his next move should be, but the specific ringtone he had assigned to Mark cut through their laughter he was forced to interrupt his line of thought to pick it up.

 _Donghyuck_.

“Hey Mark, what’s up?” Donghyuck greeted.

_You’re with Jeno aren’t you?_

“Yeah, why??? You miss him?”

_Yeah._

The sound of Mark’s voice carried over and Jeno blushed red when Donghyuck exaggerated his surprised expression.

 _Donghyuck?_ Mark asked when he heard giggling on the other end of the line.

“He’s with me, but we’re talking about important stuff!!”

_Oh yeah, like what?_

“Boy stuff.” Donghyuck made eye contact with Jeno and winked.

Jeno looked at him in distress as Mark coughed awkwardly, sound crystal clear through Donghyuck’s phone, he might as well have him on speaker.

_Hahah well.. I hate to interrupt but I need to meet up with Jeno, so--_

“For what?”

 _It’s none of your business! Can you stop leeching all his time off please??_ And then he added quietly _I’ve barely seen him this week_.

Donghyuck would feel irritated, but he _had_ been keeping Jeno from Mark, and from everyone else, so he conceded.

“Okaaay, then just come pick him up whenever you’re ready.”

_But I don't know where you guys are._

“Just ask him yourself,” Donghyuck pressed the end call button before Mark could retort. And while he sipped the rest of his smoothie, he pretended like he didn’t see the “yes i’m at neo <3” that Jeno sent Mark.

There went his nice Sunday morning.

\--

Renjun and Donghyuck had something akin to history. A clash between them, when Donghyuck was in his junior year in college, resulted in a natural rivalry between them.

Working in the college radio show was not an easy job that any student could come by, and Donghyuck was determined to work his ass off building a reputation in past years, participating in the journalism club and taking theater classes and workshops here and there to build up various skills. All so that whenever positions opened at the beginning of the fall semester he was first in line to submit his application. Naturally, his hard work paid off and he was chosen to be part of the team as radio dj.

After months of outdoing himself to the point that he kept his position all the way to next year, he met Renjun, someone who had apparently gotten the same position as him based only on a single recommendation letter from one of the professors that moderated the campus radio. At least that’s what Donghyuck heard, everyone in the little radio house and offices had been talking about it nonstop. And while Donghyuck didn’t really pay much attention to gossip, he couldn’t help but feel a little mad about this someone who had gotten in through _connections_ , dismissing his, and everyone’s!, hard work.

That’s how their first meeting, that started out with an awkward greeting, soon turned to a full blown argument. Because Donghyuck couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice, and because Renjun would take no shit from someone who claimed he cheated his way in. It was a scene that the other students and professors working there had to witness over and over again whenever one or the other was too proud as to let any chance of throwing insults around slip by.

So in a way, they had quite a lot of interactions back then, and crazily enough they seemed to look for each other too, even if only to make snide remarks.

Donghyuck soon found out that Renjun not only knew Mark but they shared classes together, and he was absolutely furious. He entertained the idea of Mark being buddy buddy with his enemy, rival, asshole coworker, and he just knew they were never going to be able to get along, despite Mark’s insistence that they had just started off on the wrong foot.

After Donghyuck graduated and left campus they never spoke again. After all, their exchanges happened mostly at their desk space, that the professors had made them share in an attempt to minimize or separate their bickering from the rest of the office, in the campus radio rooms.

Actually, if it hadn’t been for Mark’s great idea, they would have probably never talked again. 

Donghyuck chose to ignore the fact that Renjun was close enough to Mark for them to stumble into each eventually and just went with the most pessimistic approach. He felt he had to justify his eagerness to get acquainted with Renjun in a proper way before their 10-month agreement was up and they never saw each other again. Because even after all this time things always seemed to remain tense.

But it felt like having weird unspoken tension with a _stranger_ rather than with someone who he had spent his last year of college observing for the sake of criticizing everything he did, and that bothered Donghyuck even more. He felt like he wanted to talk or argue with Renjun as if they knew each other. As they had done back then.

“But you guys _don’t_ know each other,” Jeno reminded him one time.

Donghyuck had gone quiet at that, silently acknowledging that he had never bothered to learn more about Renjun beyond the fact that he was a coworker, a student, and that he was incredibly annoying.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up, in the past you didn’t want to be his friend, that’s why you don’t know him,” Jeno reassured him, “and he doesn’t know you, either.”

“True,” Donghyuck was still not convinced.

Jeno just smiled. “That doesn’t mean you can’t try to get to know him now, though. I don’t think it’s too late.”

“You’re right,” Donghyuck decided and finally smiled back.

\--

Although, Renjun hadn’t made things easier for Donghyuck, and his dismissal often led Donghyuck to believe that maybe things would never be genuinely friendly between them. Donghyuck found himself stubbornly drinking his coffee one fine morning, wondering why he even felt sad at wanting to be his asshole roommate’s friend. Why was he even going through all this trouble only to get rejected? He washed his cup after he was done and headed into the bathroom, ready to quickly shower and get ready for the day.

He plucked his eyebrows delicately, with only soft, loose pajama shorts sitting on his hips, and he felt himself grow excited about heading out early, it wasn’t every day that he managed to wake up before his alarm. Maybe he would have some time to catch breakfast on his way to work.

What sounded like Renjun’s early morning alarm carried into the bathroom and made Donghyuck stop in his tracks and stare at the door in confusion, he thought Renjun had left the house in the wee hours of morning again. A loud thud followed by some cursing came from the direction of Renjun’s bedroom, letting Donghyuck know he was probably very late for whatever he had to do, but Donghyuck chose to ignore it and slowly turned around and finished off. He felt a little bad that Renjun had to wait for him to get out of the shower when he was late, judging by the franticness in the sounds he heard outside the bathroom door.

As he washed and then dried his face he thought about stepping out and pretending he was done, allowing Renjun to shower first, but all of it was abruptly interrupted when Renjun suddenly burst through the door, closing it behind him.

“What the-- Never learned how to fucking knock?” Donghyuck screeched, all semblance of niceness gone.

Renjun looked at him in surprise, and after a beat of silence, he gave Donghyuck’s body a once over.

“I- I’m late,” he offered as his gaze lingered on Donghyuck’s exposed thighs.

“No shit, but I was here first, get out.” Donghyuck lost all his patience, having Renjun so close to him and almost breathing down on him in the cramped space made his head spin. The instinct to win this one overpowering any common sense.

“I can’t,” declared Renjun as he started taking his own shirt off.

He walked past Donghyuck intending to head towards the shower, but the latter held his arm to keep him from going further, making Renjun look back at him. The stare combined with the heat of their skin touching made Donghyuck short circuit and let go.

Renjun started taking his boxers off and offered an “I’ll be quick,” before jumping in the shower.

Try as he might, Donghyuck could not tear his eyes away from Renjun’s fair skin glistening under drops of hot water, steam delicately hugging the soft curve of his ass and waist. 

Renjun had turned around, but before doing so gave Donghyuck a grave look that could only mean “don’t you dare look away.”

He didn’t want to be much of a pervert, sneaking glances at his roommate’s dick in such a situation, but he couldn’t just back down. Donghyuck knew that if Renjun had truly wanted him out of there he would not hesitate to say it.

After five minutes Renjun turned the shower off. Donghyuck had ended up taking a seat on the closed toilet lid after he made eye contact with the other, the weight of the stare bearing down into him. Leaving the bathroom would have been considered admitting defeat, and Renjun was already winning this one by far.

Uncharacteristically unsure of what to do, Donghyuck stood up, handing Renjun his towel as he stepped out, immediately regretting it because now he was super close to him again. They kept eye contact as Renjun haphazardly dried himself. His body felt warm when he brushed by Donghyuck on his way out, leaving him to stare at Renjun’s back while he walked out of the bathroom and slammed the door.


	4. Third

That morning’s incident had been like something out of a dream, something that was sure to occupy his mind for months to come. Every time he replayed it, the hairs on his arms stood on end.

Renjun could still feel the weight of Donghyuck’s eyes on his skin, traveling the expanse of his back, settling on his neck at times, and the quick glances to his ass. It turned him on for more reasons than one, but he refused to give into his swirling thoughts until he was safely in his bedroom, alone. He ruffled his hair in an attempt to shake the dirty images off, he had to focus on the task at hand, and that included waking up a tired Yangyang so they could finish their project.

“Come on Yangyang, the sooner we finish this, the better,” said Renjun as he shook his partner’s shoulders.

“Hmmmmm.. five more minutes,” Yangyang slumped further into the table, head turning away from the sunlight pouring through the window.

Renjun rubbed his temples. He was losing his patience, he had no time for this, he wanted to get home quickly because he had things he needed to _do_ , or people he wanted to imagine _doing_.

“Yang, come on… What if we go out for drinks this weekend, after finals are done?” Renjun offered, amazed that he still had to bribe a grown man like this.

“Really???” Yanyang lifted his face enough to give Renjun puppy eyes. “You promise you won’t bail out this time?”

“I promise. I kind of need it too. We can invite Dejun and Kunhang too,” Renjun was probably going to regret this.

“Okay!” Yangyang was more than ecstatic.

“But the paper first, please, there’s only two days left.”

“Fine,” Yangyang sighed as he reopened his computer to continue working on the references, formatting them properly.

\--

  
  


As soon as they were done with the references, they divided up the pages they were going to revise and without caring what Yangyang thought of him, Renjun bolted out of the library once he could, anxious to get home. He knew Donghyuck was not going to get back until late so he had the place for himself.

He practically burst through the front door, threw his bag on the couch and went to open the door to the bathroom. Renjun’s bedroom door was directly in front of the bathroom door, so if he laid down a little lower on his bed and twisted his head to the side he could see inside clearly.

Renjun laid down and positioned a pillow below his waist, wasting no time in unbuckling his belt and undoing the button and zipper of his jeans. He closed his eyes, tentatively rubbing the head of his dick, and the image of Donghyuck’s soft, tan thighs was the first thing he saw. Those shorts were a fucking blessing. How was it possible for someone to be so sexy after just waking up.

Delicate fingers on his dick travel down and his mind plays with different scenarios, of dropping to his knees right then and there and licking a stripe of saliva up those delicious thighs. Of pushing Donghyuck to sit on the toilet to straddle him, while he tugs on his bright red hair and bites his neck. His thumb spread precum over his head, pressing into the slit, and his grip started sliding down his length. He had wanted to grab Donghyuck and kiss him sloppily and with too much tongue until he heard Donghyuck whine for more. The thought of Donghyuck going into a heated craze made his hands finally pick a pace in the strokes.

He opened his eyes and looked into the bathroom when his strokes got quicker, directly into the shower and he summoned the weight of Donghyuck’s eyes on his body, hand steady in its pull.

It had taken time to come to terms with it but once he accepted that getting watched really did it for him, so thinking of _Donghyuck_ watching him was enough to bring him closer to the edge. His movements turned sloppy, his other hand caressed over his chest, hips jerked up, chasing after the feeling.

Albeit with a little effort, he took the time to take in the position he found himself in. Sprawled out in his bed, the black, longer hairs at the back of his head spread out in his sheets. Door opened, and hips higher than usual, thinking there was still a possibility of Donghyuck entering and finding him like that, his body as an offering to the red-haired god that he so longed for.

His thumb and forefinger closed tighter whenever he rubbed against the head of his cock and Renjun urged himself to go faster and faster until he came with a silent moan, whispering Donghyuck’s name as he rode his orgasm out.

He laid there a little longer completely worn out, legs numb, but still promptly got up to clean himself and wash his hands. Tiredness seeped in, and he set up an alarm after deciding that after _that_ he deserved a little nap before revising his history paper.

\--

Once he woke up, the first thing he did was go pick up his bag from the living room and arrange his shoes properly, lest Donghyuck find anything in the apartment disorderly.

\--

The weekend was already on them, and that meant finals were done and Renjun could finally let out the breath he had been holding since midterms. Senior year in high school might have been a breeze but in college it was a whole different story.

The weekend also meant Renjun had to go out for drinks with Yangyang and his other friends, just like he promised.

Originally his intention was to drink only to feel slightly buzzed and enjoy the time with his friends, celebrating with Yangyang they were done for the semester while pointedly ignoring the next one already looming over them.

However, Yangyang suddenly started interrogating him about his roommate, and it was enough for Renjun to opt for more alcohol in his system.

“So, Renjun, how’s the lover boy life going?” Yangyang said with a smirk as loudly as he could to catch the attention of everyone in the group.

“Oh God, please don’t start this shit again Yang,” Renjun tried to reject the conversation.

“Woah, what’s this? Renjun likes someone??” Kunhang asked incredulously.

“Yeah man, he’s been pining over the same guy for like three years already.” Dejun pitched in.

“You mean I got competition?” Kunhang said, gloom.

“I knew I was going to regret this,” Renjun declared as he put his head in his arms, ruffling his dark hair.

“Yeah,” Yangyang continued, ignoring him. “Somehow they became roommates, so I was trying to ask him if he had made a move already.”

Renjun tuned out Kunhang’s nervous laughter and Dejun’s comment about how dedicated Renjun had been, never giving up, and thought back a little.

It was true what they said, but he felt a little more detail about the situation was needed to completely understand the predicament he was in. Not that he was going to give in to them and pour his heart out about the first time he ever saw Donghyuck. But to talk about Donghyuck, a little backstory with Mark was necessary.

Mark had been Renjun’s partner and classmate since his first year in college, they had realized they took quite a lot of classes together and soon ended up exchanging phone numbers in order to trade notes. Mark, actually a shy kid back then, was in his second year after having changed majors, and Renjun, who didn’t really know anyone else besides Yangyang, ended up sticking together to thredge the turbulent waters of college.

They only saw each other during classes or after classes to study, so their friendship didn’t go further than academic related topics during the first year. Which is how Renjun had never heard of Donghyuck. Until one day when Renjun had been talking to the professor after class, and Mark had been waiting for him outside the door. Until a mop of, then blond, hair walked over to mark and started talking to him in such a friendly way that Renjun thought it could have been his boyfriend. Mark excused himself with Renjun because apparently he had somewhere he needed to be. He had said goodbye to Renjun before he left, the blond haired boy not even sparing a glance his way.

The week after, when Mark properly apologized for leaving Renjun hanging like that, was when he found out the blond boy was actually a friend of Mark. Renjun saw the other boy at a distance when Mark would meet up with him after classes, and through those far and few between moments Renjun ended up completely smitten by this mysterious person.

Pathetically enough, it had taken about a year before he learned his name, only because Mark had had started opening up about his life outside of college and told renjun all about Donghyuck, at how he helped him a lot when his parents did not approve of him changing from pre-med to business, and how Mark felt respect for him everytime he stood up for Mark in front of his parents. While Mark’s parents had never liked Donghyuck for these reasons, Renjun couldn't help but fall more into him.

Renjun felt himself build up the excitement for the next time he saw Donghyuck in passing, ready to make an effort to say hi, but the time never came. And when he tried to ask Mark about it, the only answer he got was that Donghyuck suddenly became busy, and Mark would just simply meet him at his dorm. So another year went by with no progress despite Renjun’s wish to get to know Donghyuck a little better, if only to be his friend.

Mark always said he thought they would get along well, starting to notice Renjun’s developing feelings for his friend. But of course, the whole radio dj mishap happened, and it brought a wave of mixed feelings. Donghyuck had not been as nice as Mark had made him out to be, or maybe Renjun had been too preoccupied thinking of Donghyuck through rose-tinted glasses, that it just came out as a shock to him. So they started their rivalry, which was mostly performative on Renjun’s side because, while Renjun was upset at how petty and a little entitled Donghyuck seemed to be, his feelings for the other didn’t diminish in the slightest. Instead they stubbornly grew, like adding fuel to the fire in his heart, not so much in a cheesy way as in a sexy way.

Oh the things he never would tell Mark.

So Mark had known about Renjun’s crush on Donghyuck, but maybe he ended up assuming that he had gotten over it due to the exponential growth of his and Donghyuck’s “hatred” towards each other. And Mark had insisted they could still try to start anew, but Donghyuck was reluctant so Renjun decided to not try at all, lest he end up breaking his own heart even more.

“Hey, you okay?” Dejun asked a spaced out Renjun, chuckling as he passed a shot glass over to him.

“Earth to Renjun!” Yangyang teased.

“Yeah, I think I just need more alcohol,” Renjun declared and they all whooped as he downed his drink.

“Kunhang dance with me.” Renjun pointed at Kunhang, and ignoring the shock on their friend’s faces, they walked to the dance floor and disappeared into the crowd.

\--

The little digital clock on the stove read 1:41 AM.

Renjun momentarily regained some of his senses back, at least enough to evaluate his situation. His body felt too heavy. He shouldn’t be able to stand. But something was holding him up. Or rather someone. He picked up voices and the first one he made out was the honey timbre of Donghyuck’s voice. Renjun could probably recognize his voice anywhere. And judging by the proximity of it, this must be a dream, and he did as he always had in those situations: he called out to him.

“Mmm.. -nghyuck,” he slurred.

“Oh, he’s coming back to,” Kunhang said. “Where’s his room, I’ll bring him in.” He tried to walk inside but Donghyuck stopped him a little abruptly.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll take care of it.” Donghyuck said, as he firmly pulled Renjun towards him. Renjun must really be dreaming if his subconscious was picking the harshness in his voice correctly.

Finally in Donghyuck’s arms, Renjun nuzzled his face in his neck, but his arms have no strength left, or he would have not missed the chance to press onto Donghyuck even closer. There’s more talking that Renjun can’t make out, but it seems like the door gets closed and he’s suddenly alone with Donghyuck, which always made him nervous, even in dreams.

“Mmmmm, Dongh--.. thirsty,” he slurred again as Donghyuck dragged him to his room.

“Okay, let's get you some water,” Donghyuck said as he opens the door.

Donghyuck hadn’t been inside his room before, and Renjun blushes at the reminder of what he did here last time.

“Donghyuck..” he whispered, the feeling still present, as Donghyuck laid him down on the bed.

“I'll be right back,” Donghyuck said before he left.

He whines at the loss of contact but once a glass of water is in his hands, he drinks it like it’s the only thing that matters.

Donghyuck probably took his jeans off, because before he realizes it he’s in his boxers alone in the dark room. He heard the shower go off in the bathroom, so he gathered all his strength to follow Donghyuck’s soft voice that cut through the silence of the night.

Renjun sobered up enough to get up and walk a little over to the bathroom, leaning heavily onto the wall for support. He knocked on the door, but seeing as he couldn’t make out what Donghyuck said, he went inside. Donghyuck moved to stop the shower, to listen to Renjun better and ask him how he is, to see what he needed, but Renjun grabbed onto Donghyuck’s wrist, holding him in place while he went inside with him.

“Woah, Renjun wait! You're gonna get--” Donghyuck tried to stop him, but Renjun wordlessly hugged Donghyuck once he positioned himself behind him.

“‘S okay,” he sighed once his hair was soaking wet.

The moment stretched and Donghyuck wondered, “Renjun?”

“Yeah?”

“Is everything okay?” Donghyuck asked gently.

“Stay… like this?” was Renjun’s incoherent reply.

“You're getting wet, though,” Donghyuck grabbed Renjun’s hands as they began to slip down due to the water.

“Just a little while..”

\--

The next morning, Renjun woke up wrapped in fresh white sheets. He moved, burying his face further into the warmth, and started falling asleep again, headache unbearable.

Sometime later, Renjun shifted again and his hand knocked into the wall, making him realize that the bed he’s in is not his own. At this his brain started to notice other things, like the distinct smell that enveloped him and clothes that felt a little too loose on his frame. He opened his eyes, and recognized it as Donghyuck’s room through the big double window in one corner of the room that he saw when Donghyuck gave him a tour of the apartment. His head spun from the realization, and while he wondered how he even got there in the first place, the image of him hugging Donghyuck under the running water popped into his head and he sat up too quickly, head spinning even more.

Almost everything started coming back then. Last night out drinking and Kunhang taking on the task of taking Renjun home. How Donghyuck firmly held him as he practically carried him over to his room. The softness of the tan skin beneath his wet fingers.

Judging by Renjun’s state, Donghyuck probably ended up drying him and dressing him in his own clothes instead of rummaging through Renjun’s drawers, so he could rest well. Renjun slumped back down, absolutely mortified, and curled into himself, groaning in frustration. Just how much trouble did he cause.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a wise person once wondered what renjun was up to.. this one's for you <3
> 
> with this new information, donghyuck trying to get the attention of renjun and failing... Deserve, me thinks...
> 
> hello! i've been so rushed at work that i end up completely exhausted and brain-dead so this chapter came out a liiitle later than i wanted it to, but here it is nonetheless!! i hope you guys enjoyed it ~  
> you may or may have not noticed but we're already halfway in the story! i updated the total chapter count and im mostly sure it will come up to 7, so i hope you can stick with me for a little longer until i can finish this! eeek


	5. Fourth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!! i am so sorry it took this long.. a lot of things have happened in my personal life and im just barely coping with the changes hhh
> 
> you must know i've been struggling with this chapter since the week it was supposed to be posted,,,  
> that was the same week reveals were done  
> im really sorry about that, i wanted to introduce myself here too and leave my cc and everything (im leaving it in the end notes!)
> 
> anyway i hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> -  
> quick note! cw // mentions of food

Renjun was attractive.

It was an indisputable fact, one that Donghyuck had barely acknowledged because it made Renjun all the more infuriating, and one that he had forcibly come to recognize after Renjun burst through the bathroom door the other morning and proceeded to shamelessly undress in front of him leaving Donghyuck a, figuratively, spluttering mess. After that, Donghyuck could ignore it no longer.

Renjun was not only attractive, he was also _hot_.

Donghyuck picked up the blankets he used to crash on the couch the night before and folded them messily. Once he was done he was to be headed to Jeno’s, where he hoped to distract himself from whatever had lodged in his chest, refusing to let him breathe, breakfast be damned. Jeno had a whole kitchen and a whole Doyoung-hyung anyway.

He was not sure if Jeno was going to question him or sense that something was off, and honestly he wholeheartedly hoped that Jeno would just let him evade all sense of reality, and just be. Be the confused, tired mess that Renjun had made of him last night.

Was Donghyuck mad at Renjun for putting him through the trouble? The unexpected reality was that he wasn’t. He had tried for more weeks than he could count to get closer to Renjun, in the hopes their acquaintanceship would progress to something more friendly and open. Something at the back of his mind practically jumped at the opportunity of taking care of Renjun.

However, all his efforts had never taken into account that it could take a sharp turn into unknown territory. Namely thinking Huang Renjun was hot, and having said hot boy draped over him while he tried to take a shower, and all the implications it had had on Donghyuck’s body and state of mind.

It also meant Donghyuck was spending way too much energy thinking about the guy that had brought Renjun over. Donghyuck frowned as he remembered the, begrudgingly admitted, handsome boyish face framed by long curly locks of the boy who spoke softly to Renjun while keeping him upright. He didn’t know who he was, and just the sight of him with a wasted Renjun practically hanging off of him, spiked something akin to jealousy in Donghyuck.

Donghyuck moved to the door to put on his jacket and sneakers. He crouched down to tie his shoelaces when the door to his bedroom suddenly opened and the mortification settled in when he realized that he had taken too long. He should have left the apartment before Renjun woke up, and stall at Jeno and Doyoung’s until the world shifted just a bit and things went back to normal.

But now he was frozen in place, crouched down on the floor pathetically while he helplessly watched Renjun slowly walk out, swimming in Donghyuck’s long sleeve shirt.

It was not too late to run like Mark had when he first brought Renjun to the apartment, but it was definitely not easy because Renjun had locked eyes with him.

“Donghyuck..” Renjun said as he started walking over to him.

And it took all of Donghyuck’s energy to stand up abruptly and leave. He closed the door with a little too much force, almost tripping on untied shoelaces as he ran down the stairs lest Renjun decide to follow him outside severely underdressed.

\--

Just like he had hoped, spending his day at Jeno’s and Doyoung’s apartment worked to clear his head.

Mark was already there when he arrived, and soon they were all seated at the breakfast bar, exchanging stories over cereal and milk. Mark’s retelling of the paranormal thing happening at his apartment building seemed more comical than scary and they all laughed imagining how funny it would be if it had turned out to be someone unexpected instead or a ghost or an evil spirit.

Donghyuck had successfully avoided telling any anecdotes from his week, and by afternoon they were all comfortably bundled up on the couch, already picking out a few movies to spend the rest of the day watching. Donghyuck squished himself between Mark and Jeno, fearing getting third-wheeled, and they let him be. They all needed cuddles, the day was quite chilly, and Donghyuck was the best at them.

Sometime halfway through their second Ghibli movie they started nodding off. Jeno moved to the floor, taking almost all of the cushions and the biggest blanket. And Mark pushed himself further on the couch to let Donghyuck lie comfortably on top of him, like they had always done.

Around an hour had passed and Doyoung must have come back from doing errands, to cook them all something warm and delicious. Donghyuck woke up last, alone on the couch, to the mouthwatering smell of Doyoung’s cooking. He went to the bathroom and washed his face before joining the chatter in the kitchen. This time Doyoung gave in to the youth’s insistence and told them his own stories about his latest crush while he plated up, and they began eating.

Donghyuck felt at home like this, getting spoiled by his hyung along with his best friends. As he slurped the soup up, he realized how immensely grateful he was for them, as they unknowingly allow his mind to take a much-needed break. He made note to thank them all profoundly when he left.

\--

Work consumed Donghyuck’s time for the next week and a half. With Christmas drawing near, his shifts at the bakery double and all his mental energy was used in keeping him sharp and attentive to the hordes of customers that walk into the shop looking for something sweet and warm. It’s something that he never thought he’d be grateful for, because it meant that he got to spend almost all of his day out of the apartment and away from his roommate.

Donghyuck started coming home late, exhausted from the day’s work, and more often than not he was greeted with the sight of Renjun lounging about the apartment, laptop open, making the most out of his winter break. He was actually surprised the first time he found Renjun like that, watching a documentary in the kitchen with snacks around him. Renjun who would never come out of his room before.

Renjun had greeted Donghyuck the first night, a little awkward, and he had looked like he had something else to say. But after the shower occurrence, Donghyuck turned away from him without saying anything and made a beeline to his room. When he had become such a coward, Donghyuck didn’t know. But he was going to throw his pride away and flee from Renjun because he just didn’t know how to act around him anymore. What would that conversation even _be_ about? It was better to just not think about it.

He chose to take this course of action for the entirety of peak season, hoping to avoid the situation long enough that it would dissolve. And Renjun must have sensed the stress and exhaustion dripping from Donghyuck’s shoulders because he didn’t try to talk to him again whenever he came home.

\--

Jeno once again became his confidant. Donghyuck sent him a text during his break, and not a minute later his phone rang, Jeno’s contact picture lighting up the screen. He took a deep breath before answering.

“Jeno, hi!” Donghyuck greeted.

_Hey Donghyuck, what happened?_

“Um.. How are you?”

_I’m fine. Is this about Renjun?_

“Yeah.. um-” Donghyuck hesitated.

Jeno waited patiently.

Donghyuck took another breath. “Something kind of happened and he’s been trying to talk to me, but I--”

_Whoa, wait_. There was a rustle from the other side as Jeno sat up. _What do you mean?_

“Um- A friend brought him home last saturday and he was drunk, so I… took care of him, basically,” Donghyuck purposefully avoided telling him about the more embarrassing parts of what had transcurred that night.

_Oh okay. Do you think that's why he’s trying to talk to you?_

“I suppose… but I don’t want to talk to him, it’s too awkward.”

_Isn’t he probably trying to say sorry?_

Donghyuck hummed, “maybe…”

Unexpectedly, Jeno started laughing.

“Hey! What’s so funny?” Donghyuck asked. Is his situation actually this ridiculous?

_It just seems like the tables have turned, doesn’t it?_

Donghyuck gasped, horrified at the realization.

\--

It took exactly sixteen days until Donghyuck could calm back down from work. The bakery had managed to hire someone new in the midst of peak season and that had allowed Donghyuck to reduce his number of shifts. He headed home that evening, feeling a little relieved to take some days off after long grueling hours of pastry making and customer service.

The scene of Renjun being uncharacteristically vulnerable had dissipated in the wake of a slightly more indifferent Renjun, and enough days had passed without the intention of addressing that moment that Donghyuck willed himself to believe that it had all been a dream.

Nevertheless, the situation was still a little ridiculous. Renjun seemed to be more comfortable in the apartment now, which had given some kind of relief to Donghyuck’s heart, but Donghyuck tried to avoid him by spending as much time outside the apartment as possible, and isolating himself as soon as he got home. So it was really like they were back to square one, but like some sick joke their positions had been reversed.

Donghyuck felt bad about being a coward. Of course he did. The more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. It had hurt him when Renjun didn’t initiate conversation with him despite his efforts, and he knew just how unpleasant it was to be on the receiving end.

That’s why he had decided to properly apologize to Renjun, in hopes they could reach an agreement. Right before opening the front door, Donghyuck stopped and took several breaths. It doesn’t matter who you are, confrontation is at least a little nerve-wracking. But once he got in, there was no sign of Renjun anywhere, the apartment wasn’t even that big, and it _felt_ empty. He took his shoes off, noting that Renjun’s were not by the door, indicating he must be out for whatever reason.

Donghyuck tried not to feel too disappointed at not finding Renjun home, as he walked to his room to set his stuff down. All the way home he had encouraged himself into talking with Renjun, and apologizing for his evasive behavior, he might have even rehearsed a few lines too, so this development was anticlimactic.

“So much for making things right…” Donghyuck said to himself as he entered the bathroom to freshen up before going to sleep.

\--

Sun rays filter through the curtains in the living room, lighting up a path as Donghyuck’s feet carry him over to the bathroom with heavy steps. The apartment is filled in a soft glow.

Sounds from the bathroom catch his attention, and he follows against his better judgement. The door is pushed open and a distant part of his brain registers that it has been left ajar, inviting him inside.

Someone is in the shower, Donghyuck realizes a little too late. Thick steam covers his view, but there is definitely a figure right there behind the glass doors. Soft tunes and a melodious voice registers on his mind with unnatural delay. The person is singing and Donghyuck moves forward, entranced.

Donghyuck feels himself almost floating. He goes inside the shower, and when the person turns, when their gazes meet, Donghyuck's body suffers whiplash, as if he’s crashed after flying up too high.

Renjun looks at him, face blank, devoid of emotion. Donghyuck starts to back away but his wrist is caught in Renjun's fingers. His mouth is dry, he can't form words, and before he knows it Renjun is pulling him forward.

Donghyuck stumbles while Renjun walks back until their bodies are pressed, and Renjun is trapped between Donghyuck’s body and the tiles on the wall.

Something inside Donghyuck snaps as he grabs Renjun's hips and pushes him further against the white tiles. It is then that Renjun cracks a smile, but the more Donghyuck watches, the more it resembles a smirk. Renjun is daring him to get closer.

Donghyuck doesn't feel anything besides this moment.

Nothing besides Renjun’s skin beneath his fingers exist. He doesn't feel his clothes or his hair, he doesn't know what day it is, or what time it is. Donghyuck gets closer to him, his breath ghosts over wet, rosy lips, and Renjun whines.

Right before their lips touch, Donghyuck wakes up.

\--

A few days passed and Donghyuck still groaned into his hands when he remembered how soft and pliable Renjun’s skin felt under the pressure of his fingertips. It wasn’t the first time he ever had that dream, but with the stress of work it had slipped into the darkest confines of his mind. Donghyuck had wanted to talk to Renjun before but how was he supposed to do that now, how was he supposed to face Renjun.

Donghyuck put on his apron, deciding to focus on the present and the real. He had a handful of tasks to complete during the day, some which included total concentration and care, like measuring the ingredients for the éclairs.

But he miserably failed not too long after and his boss didn’t hesitate to send him home before he ended up messing up another batch.

“Get some rest, Donghyuck,” Yoona said as she took the tray from his hands. “You can make up for it on the weekend, just go home for now.” She smiled at him.

On his way out Jisung addressed him as well, “I hope you feel better soon, Donghyuck-hyung!”

Great, even the newbie was worried about him.

\--

“Donghyuck, we need to talk,” Renjun dropped on him before Donghyuck’s brain had any chance to catch up.

Donghyuck stood like a deer in the headlights, towel slipping from his shoulders, caught in Renjun’s stare (again) unable to move because this wasn’t what he had expected when he stepped through his door first thing in the morning. Sleepiness wore his bones down and he couldn’t do anything better but to run to the bathroom.

When Renjun realized what he was about to do, he put his mug down and chased after Donghyuck, only to be too slow and have the door slammed in his face (again). He punched the door and yelled.

“Donghyuck, you can’t keep running!”

“I can’t hear you!”

“Donghyuck, I swear to- if you don’t open this door right now.”

“Then what? What are you going to do?” Donghyuck challenged.

Renjun groaned before he seemed to leave, but Donghyuck’s relief was short-lived because he was soon back and the door handle started to move. Donghyuck thought that he had absolutely lost it when Renjun triumphantly pushed the door open, holding a spoon in one hand.

“What the fuck?!” Donghyuck screeched.

“I won’t let you go this time, my classes start soon and there won’t be another chance,” Renjun stated, waving the spoon threateningly.

There is only silence as Donghyuck unconsciously stepped back.

“Ugh, just listen to me, okay? You don’t even have to say anything,” Renjun took a deep breath before he started talking again. “I’m sorry for what happened in December. I shouldn’t have given you so much trouble and.. um… barged into your shower like that.”

Donghyuck was a little mortified, some part of him wished Renjun had forgotten everything in his drunken haze, yet here he was acknowledging that it happened.

“Ah, that’s--” Donghyuck tried, but Renjun interrupted him.

“I’m not done yet. I’m also sorry for making an effort to avoid you since I moved in.”

Oh. This was not something Donghyuck had expected.

“It felt really shitty when you did it these last few weeks, and I know that’s almost nothing compared to how I’ve been all these months. So yeah… I’m sorry for that.”

“Oh, um--” Donghyuck was at a loss for words.

“We shouldn’t act like strangers when we live together… don’t you think so?”

“Yeah,” Donghyuck said, breathless. It took time for everything to settle in, so he decided to take it step by step. “About what happened in December, it was nothing. Your friend, or boyfriend? Brought you over and- well I’m glad to have helped.”

“He’s not my-” Renjun rushed to say. “He’s not my boyfriend!”

Donghyuck ignored the statement as if it didn’t feel like some part of him was glad about it. “And about what you said last, I do think so. I’ve been thinking about it for some time actually…” Donghyuck felt confident enough to say. And in a poor attempt at lightening the mood, “you’re not as terrible as you were back then so I think it might just work…”

Renjun just looked at him.

“Okay, okay, sorry!”

“Well, that’s settled then.” Renjun decided, but made no move to leave the bathroom.

They stared at each other for a while until Renjun gathered enough courage to speak again.

“Donghyuck?” Renjun’s voice was quiet, like he was telling a secret.

“Yeah?” Donghyuck gulped.

“I- I actually have another proposition…”

Donghyuck let out a shaky breath, staring at Renjun’s eyes, waiting for his next words. Their eyes never leave each other and the tension escalates exponentially.

“I think it’s better if I just--”

“What?” Donghyuck wondered.

Renjun moved so quickly it left Donghyuck feeling dizzy. Before he knew it Renjun had pulled him down by his neck, breath ghosting on his lips as Renjun’s eyes traveled downward to his lips.

“Am I dreaming?” Donghyuck whispered and Renjun’s eyes met him.

“You dream about this?”

Shit.

“Shit.”

“Donghyuck, look at me.” Renjun whispered, arms snaking around his neck more confidently.

“Can I kiss you?” Donghyuck asked when their eyes met.

Renjun closed his eyes, pleading, before Donghyuck’s hands gripped his waist to bring him closer. Slowly he moved to slot their lips together, and Renjun gasped when they grazed each other. Donghyuck’s full lips must have been incredibly soft and inviting because Renjun soon gave into it, forgetting all sense of tact and practically melted in Donghyuck’s arms.

His hands traveled to Donghyuck’s hair, delicate fingers tangling in cherry red locks, as Donghyuck pressed Renjun closer with a hand on his back. Renjun moaned shamelessly into his mouth, allowing Donghyuck to slip his tongue inside.

Sometime later when they come down from this high they will deal with the shock of what they had just done, but for now they turn their heads to deepen the kiss, and part for air, and move closer to drink each other in again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pheww so that's done... i swear i've read this one so much i almost started to hate it.. please take it from me....
> 
> if you're too shy to leave a comment then please send me a cc at [my curious cat](https://curiouscat.qa/derytalks)! you can also find a link to my twt there... *shy emoji
> 
> thank you for reading~


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